Endeavor Air Avionics Engineer Jody Payne is being honored with the 2020 40 Under 40 AMT Magazine Professionals Award, in recognition of his leadership, commitment, and achievements in the field of aircraft maintenance.

Based at Endeavor’s Knoxville, Tenn. (TYS) maintenance base, Payne is among 40 aviation maintenance professionals across the industry being recognized with this annual award.

Payne started out as a mechanic at Endeavor, progressed his way into a lead mechanic, worked in the MOTR (Maintenance Operations Tech Rep) group, and finally settled in as an Avionics Engineer in Knoxville earlier this year.

“I like the atmosphere and the people I work with. We’re all trying to help each other get something done,” Payne said.

Receiving this award means both success and motivation to further develop his skills.

“It’s an honor; it means I’m doing something right,” Payne laughed. “I never expected someone to nominate me for something like that. It’ll make me want to do more.”

Payne thrives on fixing issues and coming to work each day not knowing what to expect.

“It’s always changing – no matter if you think you know a lot about the aircraft, the next day you learn something new,” Payne said. “There’s always something to learn, [and] that’s what I like the most.”

John Alabach, Regional Director of Technical Operations, nominated Payne for the award, and praises his hard work and dedication.

“Jody has earned the privilege to be among these winners due to his ability to learn and become proficient in avionics and aircraft systems troubleshooting within a short period of time, in addition to the devotion to his career,” Alabach said. “In his former role as Maintenance Operations Technical Representative, Jody demonstrated his ability by working and resolving some of the most challenging aircraft faults. Jody continues to excel in his new role as Avionics Engineer,”

Payne recognizes his mentors throughout his maintenance career pathway, giving credit to those around him.

“I’d like to thank John for nominating me; it’s a huge honor, especially coming from him,” said Payne. “I definitely can’t say I did this by myself. I have had a lot of people teach me things along the way.”